A West Molesey husband and wife have been left feeling “violated” after their home was ransacked by burglars last week.

Chris Baldwin, 63, and his wife Sue, 56, arrived home last Tuesday (December 12) to find their house in Cherry Orchard Road in a state of complete disarray after burglars broke in and stole jewellery, designer goods and a large amount of cash.

Mr Baldwin said: “My wife and I feel violated and the house feels unclean.

“We have spent the last three days washing all our clothes, bed linen and everywhere they have been.

“I would just like to say that the police and the scene of crime (soco) officers who attended were very professional and thorough in their investigation.”

This comes after Surrey Police reported an unusual surge in burglaries in Elmbridge- there were ten break-ins over a two-day period at the beginning of December.

Although there was a similar surge last year, this number is an increase on the usual figures, which is about 80 burglaries per month.

A covert police operation was launched in the wake of the sharp rise in crime.

A spokesman from Surrey Police said: “We can confirm a burglary took place at an address on Cherry Orchard Road in West Molesey on December 12.

“We wish to reiterate that currently we have dedicated teams of officers engaged in a campaign to reduce the number of burglary offences across the county which has seen an increase in recent months.

“We are using a range of covert and overt tactics to hunt down and arrest wanted burglars and handlers.

“We’re also proactively targeting and gathering intelligence on suspected offenders and patrolling hotspot areas giving out crime prevention advice to the public and urging them to report any suspicious behaviour to us.

“Plus we’ve got some ‘trap’ houses set up in certain locations which we’ve kitted out with hidden cameras and gadgets with tracking devices.

“If you target one of these houses you could end up with more than you’ve bargained for.”

Have you been affected? Contact: grainne.cuffe@newsquest.co.uk